Over a lifetime, those hours add up. One small study that was directed at young adults showed that sitting burns about 4 kilojoules per minute, while standing burns about 6 kilojoules. Although this difference may seem very small, the students would burn an extra 477 kilojoules per day by using a standing desk at school. The study showed that a student’s extra weight loss could amount to almost 3 kilograms a year.